Opposed piston engine construction with removable cylinders



May 10, 1949 c. A. .JAcoBsoN 2,469,651

OPPOSED PISTON ENGINE CONSTRUCTION VABLE lCYLINDERS WITH REMO 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1945 Illu INVENTOK cam. A. :rncoesom JACOBSON oPPosED PIsToN ENGINE CONSTRUCTION May 10, 1949.

WITH REMOVABLE CYLINDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. l5, 1945 INVENTOR.

ERL A. 37160550# .Patented May 1o, 1949 OPPOSED PISTON ENGINE CNSTRUCTION WITH REMOVABLE CYLINDERS Carl A. Jacobson,

Ardmore, Pa., asslgnor to The Baldwin Locomotive Works, a corporation of Pennsylvania appliance November 15, 1945, serial No. 628,820

6 Claims. (Cl. 12S-51) This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to the kindy or engine in ywhich two pistons are arranged in each cylinder, reciprocating in opposite directionsy with a common combustion chamber. The pistons act on two separate crankshafts, one at each end of the cylinders, connected by suitable means such as gearing so that they rotate in timed relation to each other. y

One object of my invention is to provide an improved combination of` elements whereby cylinders may be conveniently removed from or vassembled with the engine frame without requiring dismantling of the Atwo crankshafts at each end of the cylinder as well as the many other part accessories, devices and the like which are a usual part of engines.

Other objects and ladvantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from'the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved engine with vone part in section to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a modified arrangement of cylinder.

The engine shown in Fig. 1 is a vertical multicylinder opposed piston engine, but the same princlples of construction are equally applicable to a horizontally disposed engine, and hence any reference to upper and lower crankshafts is to be considered as applicable to either engineposition. rl'he construction is characterized by an upper and a lower crankcase I and 2 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These crankcas-es are arranged parallel to each other and contain upper and lower crankshafts 3 and 4 mounted in any suitable number of bearings certain ofwhich are indicated at 3' and 4' and are connected by two end frame sections or columns 5 and 6, both of which are hollow and one of which, such as 5, is used to house a gear train 1 for connecting the two crankshaft-s and for driving certain usual and wellknown accessories and devices (not shown). The other column section 6 would lbe available for accessory parts if desired.

It may be readily seen that the basic frame is in the form of a rectangle with an open central portion containing engine cylinders 8 whose upper and lower ends are rmly bolted lat 9 to the upper and lower crankcases. These cylinders are on line 3-3 thus arranged to be removed or inserted laterally at right angles to the plane of the cylinder axes without dismantling .the crankcases and their crankshafts or usual accessories associated therewith, although pistons and connecting rods must be removed, of/course. In the case of a horizontal engine, they would be removed in an equivalent vertical manner instead of laterally. If desired, the cylinders may carry the explosion thrust load on the crankshafts tending to separate the latter, although my arrangement is particularly effective in allowing such forces to be taken by cooperative tension plates or members `I0 which are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the crankcases. The combustion space as is usual in this type of engine is located between opposed 'pistons II which are provided with connectnig rods I2.

In order to remove the cylinders 8, the pistons II and connecting rods I2 are rst removed through crankcase hand hole'openings I3 and I4 after removal of covers therefor.

The engine construction shown may be composed of parts consisting of castings and -fabricated sections assembled by well-known methods of bolted joints or by welding into an integral frame unit and as such connecting means do not enter into my present invention they are not further described. Similarly such elements as fuel injectors, water circulating pumps for cooling the engine cylinders, and many other well-known and necessary devices are omitted for clarity.

It will be noted, however, that I obtain a high degree of frame rigidity by preferably forming the inner halves I5 and I6 of the crankcases I and 2 as an integral part of the end columns 5 and 6, although these various parts could be formed separately and bolted or welded together, if desired, to form a permanently rigid unitary structure. In this case, only the uppermost and lowermost halves of the crankcases I and 2 would be normally removable along parting flanges I'l and I8. In my improved construction the rigidity of this frame unit is further increased by the box-like nature of the-end columns 5 and 6 as is'clearly shown in Fig. 3. Access .to the interior of these columns may be had either through their upper and lower ends orthrough suitable end plates such as I9, Fig. 3, which in this particular instance closes the opening through which the gear shafts 20 are inserted.

In the modiiication shown in Fig. 4 one cylinder is illustrated for convenience in a horizontal position and is to be considered for purposes of my invention to be a vertical engine as well. Each cylinder isformed in two halves la and 8b along a transverse division line 22 just to one side of the middle of the combustion chamber. The adjacent ends of the two cylinder halves are suitably secured together by a series of circumferentially disposed bolts 23, it being noted that fuel injectors 24 are located entirely in the longer cylinder half 8b and can accordingly be positioned on the median line of the combustion chamber. This arrangement allows complete lateral removal of both cylinder halves by first removing only the piston Il a and connecting rod I2a through a manhole opening such as I3 or I4, Fig. 1. The piston removal is accomplished by first removing the connecting rod bearing cap and then laterally swinging the lower end of the rod toward the manhole opening while simultaneously lowering the piston out through the bottom of cylinder. The crankshaft is of course rotated to its lowermost position to permit removal of the piston. When the piston Ila is removed the crankshafts may be, or will already have been, rotated to move the other piston I lb clear of the parting line 22 to allow lateral removal of the cylinder heli 8a whereupon the other cylinder half 8b may be disconnected from its crankcaseand moved axially until it clears piston IIb and thence removed laterally from the engine frame. In this manner it is not necessary to disconnect piston rod |2b although if desired both cylinder halves and both pistons and rods may be removed in the same manner as for the single integral type of cylinder.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in an engine comprising, a frame, having upper and lower crankcase portions and means for rigidly supporting said crankcases in spaced relation to each other, upper and lower crankshafts normally mounted in said crankcases, opposed pistons connected to said crankshafts, cylinders in which said pistons operate with a common combustion chamber therefor, means for removably securing said cylinders to said frame between said crankcases, and said crankcases having lateral clearance adjacent the ends of said cylinders to allow the latter to be laterally removable while both the upper and lower crankshafts remain in their normal position.

2. The combination in an engine comprising, a frame, upper and lower crankshafts normally mounted therein, -opposed pistons connected to said crankshafts, cylinders in which said pistons operate with a common combustion chamber therefor, and means whereby said cylinders are supported by said frame and are laterally removable therefrom while both the upper and lower crankshafts remain in their normal position, said frame including upper and lower lhorizontally extending portions constituting the inner halves of crankcases and end columns rigidly secured to said horizontal frame portions to provide a unitary rectangular shaped structure with the laterally removably cylinders disposed within the interior of said rectangle.

3. The combination in an engine comprising, a frame, upper and lower crankshafts normally mounted therein, opposed pistons connected to said crankshafts, cylinders in which said pistons operate with a common combustion chamber therefor, means whereby said cylinders are supportedby said frame and are laterally removable therefrom while both the upper and lower crankshafts remain in their normal position, said frame.

including upper and lower horizontally extending portions constituting the inner halves of crankcases and end columns rigidly secured to said horizontal frame portions to provide a unitary rectangular shaped structure with the laterally removable cylinders disposed within the interior of said rectangle, at least one of said end columns being of hollow box-like formation in transverse section, and a gear train located in said hollow section for connecting the upper and lower crankshafts 4. The combination in an engine comprising, a frame, upper and lower crankshafts normally mounted therein, opposed pistons connected to said crankshafts, cylinders in which said pistons operate with a common combustion chamber therefor, and means whereby said cylinders are supported by said frame andare laterally removable therefrom while both the upper and lower crankshafts remain in their normal position, each of said cylinders being formed in two coaxial halves connected together, whereby one of the cylinder halves is removable laterally while the other cylinder half is in position.

5. The combination in an engine comprising, a frame, upper and lower crankshafts normally mounted therein, opposed pistons connected to said crankshafts, cylinders in which said pistons operate with a common combustion chamber therefor, means whereby said cylinders are supported by said frame and are laterally removable therefrom while both the upper and lower crankshafts remain in their normal position, each of said cylinders being divided transversely slightly off the middle of the common combustion chamber so that one cylinder half is longer than the other, and a fuel injector mounted in the longer one of said cylinder halves for injection of fuel into the common combustion space.

6. The combination in an engine comprising, a frame, upper and lower crankshafts normally mounted therein, opposed pistons connected to said crankshafts, cylinders in which said pistons operate with a common combustion chamber therefor, and means whereby saidcylinders are supported by said frame and are laterally removable therefrom while both the upper and lower crankshafts remain in their normal position, said frame having upper and lower horizontal portions integrally ,connected to tension plates disposed between adjacent cylinders which are laterally removable while said upper and lower frame portions and plates remain as an integral unit.

CARL A. JACOBSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references-are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,037,667 Schaffer Sept. 3, 1912 1,351,783 Moeglin Sept. 7, 1920 1,374,915 Fasey Apr. 19, 1921 1,701,363 Herr Feb. 5, 1929 1,808,083 Tibbetts June 2, 1931 1,822,036 Junkers Sept. 8, 1931 2,097,583 Bogert Nov. 2, 1937 2,249,783 Reggio July 22, 1941 Certificate of y Correction Patent No. 2,469,651. y May 10, 1949.

CARL A. JACOBSON It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 66, claim 2, for the Word removably read removable; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent OIIice.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of November, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

yAssistant Commissioner of Patents. 

